Lando Norris bounced back from his Canada collision with McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri to finish fastest in practice for the Austrian Grand Prix.
Norris’ world championship bid was dealt a significant blow in Montreal a fortnight ago when he ran into the back of Piastri and retired from the race.
The collision cast him 22 points adrift of Piastri but Norris claimed an early advantage at Spielberg’s Red Bull Ring by topping the timesheets.
The top three in FP2 🥇🥈🥉#F1 #AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/Rb5NRonHvx
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 27, 2025
Norris finished 0.157 seconds clear of Piastri in a McLaren one-two, with four-time world champion Max Verstappen third. The Dutchman finished three tenths off the pace.
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll ended the day in fourth, one place clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. George Russell, who landed his first win of the season in Montreal, slipped to sixth having set the pace in the opening running of the weekend earlier on Friday.
For Lewis Hamilton, it was another difficult day at the wheel of his Ferrari. A gearbox problem restricted Hamilton’s programme in the first session and then he was only 10th quickest in the day’s concluding running.
“For some reason I have just got no pace,” said Hamilton on the radio, with his best lap nearly a second off the leading time and three tenths adrift of Leclerc in the other Ferrari.
Hamilton was also the subject of an investigation after impeding Kimi Antonelli – the Italian teenager who replaced him at Mercedes – through turn four.
Antonelli had to take evasive action at high speed as Hamilton wandered back on to the racing line.
Hamilton immediately apologised to Antonelli – drawing alongside the 18-year-old’s Mercedes before offering an apologetic hand – but was summoned to see the stewards to explain his actions.
Hamilton escaped with a warning.
Earlier, Norris sat out the opening session with Alex Dunne becoming the first Irishman since Ralph Firman in 2003 to take part in an Formula One event.
Dunne, 19, who is a McLaren development driver and leads the Formula Two standings, finished an impressive fourth and within a tenth of Piastri.
“A little boy’s dream came true,” he said over the radio. “This is the best day of my life.”
